Rake head

ABSTRACT

A multipurpose hand rake designed for rug and carpet rejuvenation, as well as lawn and garden use, has a virtually indestructible head molded from a thermoplastic resin and including a plurality of equally spaced, flexible teeth or tines extending in fan-shaped relation from a convex edge of a base plate to which a handle is removably attached. The teeth are provided with elongated, entirely unconfined shanks that are highly vibratory in all directions and include angularly offset, pulsating fingers having flat, terminal ends which provide a trip-hammer action for beating into matted floor coverings to loosen dirt and raise the nap, all without snagging and without damage, such as pulling out bonded tufts. The fingers also penetrate deeply into heavy turf and thick, dense mats to loosen and easily remove leaves, grass cuttings, thatch and other debris without damage to live, decorative growth.

United States Patent Scoggin, Jr. et al.

[151 3,654,754 [4 1 Apr. 11,1972

[54] RAKE HEAD [72] Inventors: Baxter I. ScOggin, Jr., Kansas City;

Woodrow E. Vaughan; Gerald D. Reed,

[52] U.S. Cl ...56/400.l7, 15/160 [51] Int. Cl. ..A0ld 7/00 [58] FieldoiSearch ..15/21, 40,106,107, 110,142,

15/143 R, 143 A, 145, 159 R,l59A, 160,186, 187, 188, 236; 56/400.17,400.18, 400.21, 400.11, 400.12; 172/378, 379, 380

3,332,223 7/1967 Polisso ..56/400. 17

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 454,899 3/1949 Canada ..56/400. 1 7

Primary Examiner-Russell R. Kinsey Attorney-Schmidt, Johnson, Hovey &Williams [57] ABSTRACT A multipurpose hand rake designed for rug andcarpet rejuvenation, as well as lawn and garden use, has a virtuallyindestructible head molded from a thermoplastic resin and including aplurality of equally spaced, flexible teeth or tines extending infan-shaped relation from a convex edge of a base plate to which a handleis removably attached. The teeth are provided with elongated, entirelyunconfined shanks that are highly vibratory in all directions andinclude angularly offset, pulsating fingers having flat, terminal endswhich provide a trip-hammer action for beating into matted floorcoverings to loosen dirt and raise the nap, all without snagging andwithout damage, such as pulling out bonded tufts. The fingers alsopenetrate deeply into heavy turf and thick, dense mats to loosen andeasily remove leaves, grass cuttings, thatch and other debris withoutdamage to live, decorative growth.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures RAKE HEAD The relatively recent rise inthe popularity of shag rugs has created problems of care not easily metwith conventional vacuum cleaners and other appliances. The soft, fluffyand airy appearance and feel which floor coverings of such nature impartare soon lost, particularly in heavily traveled areas, and dirtcollections in the matted zones are difficult to remove. No satisfactoryrug conditioner for home use has heretofore been developed.

Hand rakes, as such, have been made from many types of material such asmetal, bamboo, wood and wire. And multitudes of sizes, shapes and styleshave been suggested. But none is satisfactory for inside use becausethey fail to perform all needed functions, both in short, dense fibersand in long, coarse tangled masses, of raising the nap, loosening ofdirt, and prevention of damage to the rug or carpet. Moreover,conventional rakes for outdoor use all have one or more disadvantages,most notable of which is lack of long-lasting characteristics. Effortsto provide adequate strength have resulted in undue weight, excessiveexpense or aggravating clogging. Attempts to provide increased vibratoryaction have resulted in high breakage, bending and other malfunctionsand ineffective operation.

It is an important object of our present invention, therefore, toprovide a hand rake that is especially useful in solving the problem ofrug rejuvenation, not only in raising matted nap or carpet trails" butin loosening dirt before vacuuming.

Another important object of the instant invention is the provision of arug or carpet conditioning tool that is sufficiently light in weight andadequately automatic in its rug beating function, as well as in itsnap-raising task, as to be easily and quickly used by the housewife asoften as is needed, eliminating the tendency for delay because of desireto defer a disagreeable housecleaning drudgery.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide arug conditioner which may also be used as a garden tool in preference toall other types of rakes because of its ease of use, improved results,long lasting characteristics and many other attributes, as willhereinafter appear.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a rake head made pursuant to our presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, parts being broken away forclearness;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view similar to FIG. 1 but on an enlargedscale;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detailed cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5ofFlG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of one of theteeth;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom view of one of the teeth;

FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of one of the fingers of the teeth;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modified form oftooth.

Rake head 10 is preferably. molded in one piece from a suitablethermoplastic resin such as a polycarbonate that is highly shockresistant, weatherproof and not easily damaged by heat or fire. Othercomparable products having moldability properties include polyethylene,polypropylene, polyphenol oxide and nylon.

Head 10 includes a generally triangular base plate 12 supporting aplurality of identical, equally spaced rake teeth 14 integral with theplate 12 and extending forwardly in fanshaped relation from an elongatedlongitudinally convex edge 16 of plate 12 which spans the distancebetween arcuate corners 18 and 20 of plate 12. The third reannost cornerof the plate 12 is provided with an integral boss or socket member 22having upper and lower reinforcing gussets 24 and internal threads 26for removably receiving a handle (not shown).

Each tooth 14 has a normally straight, elongated, flexible shank 28 andan elongated, straight, relatively short finger 30 integral with thatend thereof opposite to the plate 12. The fingers 30 extend outwardlyand downwardly from their shanks 28 at an angle of less than (preferablyat about 45) and terminate in flat, outwardly and downwardly facing tipends 32.

The spacing between the teeth or tines l4 progressively increases fromthe plate 12 to the tips 32, and particularly notable is the fact thatthe teeth 14 are entirely unconfined throughout the lengths of theirshanks 28 and their fingers 30 for free flexing and vibratory action inall directions. That is to say, cross bracing between the shanks 28, asis contemplated by many types of conventional rakes, is herein neitherneeded nor desired.

While the tips 32 are preferably circular as shown in FIG. 8, andalthough such configuration is continued with uniform diameterthroughout the lengths of the fingers 30, the crosssectionalconfiguration of the fingers 30 may be varied. Ends 32 should, however,be flat, as aforementioned, and perpendicular to the longitudinal axesof the fingers 30.

The shanks 28, on the other hand, have cross-sectional areas thatprogressively increase as the edge 16 of plate 12 is approached with thecross-sectional configuration of each shank 28 being circular and ofsubstantially the same diameter as the fingers 30 at the angularjuncture 34 between the shanks 28 and their fingers 30.

At their base ends adjacent edge 16 the shanks 28 have an ovalconfiguration as shown in FIG. 9, such cross-sectional shape thereofprogressively changing to circular as the junctures 34 are approached.The width of shanks 28 (across their minor axes at edge 16) isapproximately the same throughout the lengths of the shanks. But thedistance across the normally upright major axes of shanks 28 at edge 16is somewhat greater to provide increased bend-back strength withoutsacrificing vibratory action in any direction.

Virtually the only action during normal use which might tend to causebreakage would be the result of slamming the head against sidewalks orother hard surfaces at the corners 18 and 20. For this reason thesecorners are extended outwardly beyond the proximal tines 14 to withstandblows of that nature and thereby prevent tine break off.

Moreover, for added strength, the edge 16 is transversely convex as bestseen in FIG. 5 and there are provided arcuate bights 36 between theshanks 28 at edge 16, eliminating sharp corners, joints and other linesof weakness.

Head 10 is, therefore, designed to be used with tip ends 32 horizontaland the fingers 30 vertical so that shanks 28 are inclined to about a 45angle, permitting the operator to stand erect. With the rake so properlyheld in that position, a sweeping action in one direction pulls thefingers across the rug nap with little physical effort on the part ofthe user. This immediately loosens the shaggy, tangled mass of pile andas the sweeping action is continued, the matted down condition of therug or carpet is restored to its proper soft, shaggy and airyappearance, all without damage to the nap or tufts.

The action is the result of various advantageous features of the head 10itself. The fingers 30 penetrate deeply into the nap and slide smoothlytherethrough so that they slip easily therefrom at the end of eachstroke, raising and disentangling the same without snagging. At the sametime, because of the highly flexible nature of the unbraced orunconfined tines 14, they yield individually to the slightestresistance, thereby obviating any tendency by the fingers 30 to pull thetufts loose from their anchorings in the base of the floor covering.Moreover, during each flexure of each time 14 and release thereof avibratory action is established that is transmitted to all remainingtines 14. This highly vibratory nature of the tines l4 creates a napraising and fluffing action which cannot be duplicated in any other typeof rake or rug rejuvenator.

Still further, as the tines l4 repeatedly rebound as the result of thevibration, a pounding or beating action is set up in each of the ends ortips 32 of the fingers 30 in trip hammer pulsating fashion such as toloosen dirt that has accumulated on the nap and deeply within the rug.The conditioning action may then be followed by the usual vacuumingprocedures to remove all of the dirt thus loosened. The flatness andangularity of the tip ends 32 are therefore particularly advantageousfrom the standpoint of the hammering effect just described and also fromthe standpoint of protection against snagging or other damage whichmight otherwise occur if the ends 32 were pointed or not perpendicularto the sides of the fingers 30 as shown in the drawing. To this end,therefore, all of the cantilever teeth 14 should be smooth anduninterrupted throughout their lengths in total absence of sharpprojections and jagged edges which would tend to snag and hang up in thepile or damage valuable furniture.

While the head is particularly useful in connection with the raising andfluffing of both long and short, as well as dense and coarse nap of shagrugs without streaking, it may also be used to advantage in thebeautification and treatment of floor coverings other than shag,especially from the standpoint of loosening of dirt preparatory tovacuuming, as above explained. Its use is not limited to the housewife.Tightly rolled rugs may be beautified for display at the retail storeand by workmen after the rug is laid in the home to raise the nap whichbecomes matted under pressure during storage and shipment.

The action is much the same when the head is used for lawn and gardenpurposes. Here again, a vibratory action takes place such as to renderthe teeth 14 self cleaning and to loosen material to be removed fromlawns, in and around shrubbery and elsewhere. It is not necessary thatthe head 10 be large and heavy as is often believed advantageous by rakemanufacturers. The head 10 weighs but 17 ounces, measures only about 8inches between the corners l8 and 20 and little more than 14 inchesbetween the two outermost fingers when not expanded. Shanks 28 are about8 inches long and the fingers measure three-fourths inch in length.

While we do not wish to be limited by dimensions, the measurements aboveset forth show that as much work can be done in the same length of timewith a small light weight rake head, if properly designed, than withmost large, heavy and cumber-some rake heads of conventional nature. Itshould be recognized that when pressure is applied to the tips 32against such surfaces as floor coverings and lawns, the tines 14 spreadapart or expand to provide added coverage. There is presented,therefore, a flexible broom-like rake providing a whip action during usemuch like a flexible fishing rod.

The vibratory action also renders the rake self cleaning. Leaves andgrass cannot wedge between the teeth 14 and substantial bending can takeplace without danger of breaking. In this connection, the increaseddimensions of shanks 28 at their major axes help protect them againstbend-back breakage while retaining the advantage of high flexibilitylaterally to set up the vibrations needed for the good results aboveexplained.

Head 10 is non-corrosive, being unaffected by normal extremes of heat orcolt, sunlight or rain, and can be kept clean by mere soap and waterwashing. The handle will not twist in the hands of the user, causingblisters, and the fingers 30 can be easily projected into confinedlocations for loosening and removal of leaves and other debris.

In FIG. 10 of the drawing there is illustrated a modification in whicheach shank 28a is provided with a pair of fingers 30a and 30b extendingangularly in opposite directions to permit a sweeping action in bothdirections if one should so desire.

The importance of the unrestricted lateral movement of the teeth 14, afeature not found in the prior art, cannot be overemphasized. Thisresults not only because the design makes it possible to omit crossbracing or other interconnection between the teeth outwardly from theedge 16, but because of the convex nature of edge 16 and thecross-sectional configuration shown in FIG. 9, the latter of which, ofitself, permits a very large amount of sidewise movement of the teeth14, as well as substantial bend-back movement of the teeth 14 withoutdanger of breakage. These factors increase the tendency of the teeth 14to flare or fan out durin use increase the tendency of the teeth 14 tovibrate, and t erefore fluff the carpet, and eliminate tracking orrutting of the rug, all of which attributes are lacking in rakesheretofore suggested. It is but necessary to hold the fingers 30 againstthe rug with only a slight pressure as they are swept across the rug.Head 10 still pulls easily because the spreading and vibrating actionsof the teeth 14 cause the fingers 30 to easily penetrate the rug suchthat the entire rug conditioning task can be completed with littleeffort in but a fraction of the time required by other devices used forsuch purpose.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a hand rake,

a supporting plate of thermoplastic resin having an elongated,longitudinally convex edge; and

a plurality of identical, equally spaced rake teeth extending outwardlyin fan-shaped relation from said edge,

each tooth having a normally straight, elongated, flexible shankintegral at one end thereof with said edge, and an elongated, straight,relatively short finger integral with the opposite end of the shank,

said fingers extending outwardly and downwardly from their shanks at anangle of less than degrees and terminating in flat, outwardly anddownwardly facing tips,

the spacing between the teeth progressively increasing from said plateto said tips,

said teeth being entirely unconfined throughout the lengths of theirshanks and their fingers from said plate to said tips for free flexingand vibrating action in all directions.

2. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, said fingers having circularcross-sectional configurations of substantially uniform diametersthroughout the lengths thereof.

3. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, the cross-sectional area ofeach shank progressively increasing as said edges are approached.

4. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, each shank having an ovalcross-sectional configuration at said edge.

5. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 4, the minor transverse axes ofsaid shanks at said edge extending laterally thereof.

6. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 5, the lengths of the major axesof said shanks progressively increasing as said edge is approached.

7. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 5, said shanks having circularcross-sectional configurations at said fingers, the lengths of saidminor axes being substantially the same as the diameters of the shanksat said fingers.

8. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 7, said fingers being providedwith circular cross-sectional configurations having diameterssubstantially equal to said diameters of the shanks at the fingers.

9. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, said edge being transverselyconvex, the bights between the shanks at said edge being concave.

10. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, said plate being substantiallytriangular and provided with a pair of opposed, arcuate corners at saidedge projecting outwardly beyond the proximal shanks.

11. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 10; and an internally threaded,rearwardly opening, handle-receiving socket integral with the plate atthe third corner of the latter.

12. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, each shank having a second,elongated, straight, relatively short finger integral with said oppositeend thereof, extending outwardly and upwardly and terminating in a flat,outwardly and upwardly facing tip.

1. In a hand rake, a supporting plate of thermoplastic resin having anelongated, longitudinally convex edge; and a plurality of identical,equally spaced rake teeth extending outwardly in fan-shaped relationfrom said edge, each tooth having a normally straight, elongated,flexible shank integral at one end thereof with said edge, and anelongated, straight, relatively short finger integral with the oppositeend of the shank, said fingers extending outwardly and downwardly fromtheir shanks at an angle of less than 90 degrees and terminating inflat, outwardly and downwardly facing tips, the spacing between theteeth progressively increasing from said plate to said tips, said teethbeing entirely unconfined throughout the lengths of their shanks andtheir fingers from said plate to said tips for free flexing andvibrating action in all directions.
 2. In a hand rake as claimed inclaim 1, said fingers having circular crOss-sectional configurations ofsubstantially uniform diameters throughout the lengths thereof.
 3. In ahand rake as claimed in claim 1, the cross-sectional area of each shankprogressively increasing as said edges are approached.
 4. In a hand rakeas claimed in claim 1, each shank having an oval cross-sectionalconfiguration at said edge.
 5. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 4, theminor transverse axes of said shanks at said edge extending laterallythereof.
 6. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 5, the lengths of themajor axes of said shanks progressively increasing as said edge isapproached.
 7. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 5, said shanks havingcircular cross-sectional configurations at said fingers, the lengths ofsaid minor axes being substantially the same as the diameters of theshanks at said fingers.
 8. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 7, saidfingers being provided with circular cross-sectional configurationshaving diameters substantially equal to said diameters of the shanks atthe fingers.
 9. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, said edge beingtransversely convex, the bights between the shanks at said edge beingconcave.
 10. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 1, said plate beingsubstantially triangular and provided with a pair of opposed, arcuatecorners at said edge projecting outwardly beyond the proximal shanks.11. In a hand rake as claimed in claim 10; and an internally threaded,rearwardly opening, handle-receiving socket integral with the plate atthe third corner of the latter.
 12. In a hand rake as claimed in claim1, each shank having a second, elongated, straight, relatively shortfinger integral with said opposite end thereof, extending outwardly andupwardly and terminating in a flat, outwardly and upwardly facing tip.